Lambert & Stamp (opens in Cleveland May 15th exclusively at the Cedar Lee Theatre)

[LAMBERT & STAMP opens in Cleveland on Friday May 15th exclusively at the Cedar Lee Theatre.]

Review by Pamela Zoslov

Among British rock bands, there was always something different about the Who. Why, for instance, were so many of their albums created for, or adapted to, the stage? The group pioneered the ambitious “rock opera” with Tommy, Quadrophenia and the ill-fated Lifehouse. Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera House — how did this posh image mesh with the group's scruffy looks and slashing Mod rebellion (“Hope I die before I get old”)?

The key, at last, is found in a new documentary, LAMBERT & STAMP. Directed by James D. Cooper, the film tells the story of the group's long-term relationship with the inimitable Christopher “Kit” Lambert, and his business partner, Chris Stamp, who discovered the band –— then called The High Numbers and playing mostly blues and R&B covers —  and determined to make stars of them. The name Kit Lambert is familiar as the band's manager and producer, but most fans are probably unaware of Lambert's role, alongside Stamp, in shaping, and in a sense creating, the Who.